Children's home run by Hennessy Living Group Limited

Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children and/or young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, including mental health difficulties and associated conditions.

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns and operates the home. The manager has been registered since 17 April 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 19 February 2020

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Sustained effectiveness

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership. This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assurance visit report: 2520922 2

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit.

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The care of children

Children say they have good relationships with the staff, who take time to get to know them and understand their needs. Children feel listened to and staff are responsive to the wishes and feelings of the children in their care.

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The care of children

Children are being supported to stay in touch with people who are important to them during the COVID-19 pandemic. When government restrictions and limitations prevent face-to-face contact, the staff make good use of social media and technology. The manager is intuitive to the importance of family time for children. Staff strongly advocate for visiting arrangements which meet the needs of each child. This supports children to feel settled and at home. This has led to a reduction in antisocial or unacceptable behaviour.

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The care of children

Staff have continued to promote the importance of education throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This positive attitude to learning has resulted in one young person returning to education after a significant time out of school. Where children’s education needs are not being met, staff work with partners to find successful solutions.

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The care of children

Staff and professionals work together to ensure that children continue making progress. Social workers and education professionals commented on the effective communication from staff. One parent said, ‘The care children receive is fantastic and the progress they make is fantastic.’ Children continue to receive the support they need, and staff ensure that they have access to additional specialist services where required.

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The care of children

The children are able to personalise their bedrooms and are consulted on the décor throughout the home. Some children have caused damage to furniture, which has not been repaired or replaced. This is not creating a high-quality home environment for children.

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The safety of children

Staff demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of the risks to children in their care. Staff can identify the key indicators which may mean a child is at risk of exploitation or abuse. This helps them to keep children safe.

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The safety of children

The manager is responsive when children’s risks increase and is proactive in accessing additional resources where required. This also includes making changes to the physical environment of the home to prevent children from placing themselves at risk of harm. Increased staffing helps to ensure that risks are better managed and that the safety and well-being of the children are prioritised. Assurance visit report: 2520922 3 Individual risk assessments identify the risks to children and include strategies on how to manage those risks. However, where additional plans are agreed to manage complex behaviours, these are not always collated into a single document. This could lead to a uncoordinated response, leaving a child at risk of harm.

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The safety of children

On one occasion, the manager did not notify Ofsted of serious concerns involving a child which required the involvement of the police. As a result, Ofsted was unable to ensure that the provider took appropriate action to protect children from harm.

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The safety of children

When children move into the home, the manager completes an impact risk assessment using information from partner agencies. This consultation allows the manager to consider strategies needed to ensure that children and staff are safe and supported. On one occasion, the risk assessment was not followed by staff. This left both a staff member and a child vulnerable and increased the risk of harm.

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Leaders and managers

The manager is motivated to secure good outcomes for children. This is achieved through ensuring that staff are well supported with relevant training and opportunities for development. Regular and effective supervision is provided and there is a culture of mutual support, enthusiasm and warmth within the staff team. This promotes a warm and caring atmosphere for the children who live in the home.

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Leaders and managers

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the manager has adapted procedures in line with public health guidelines. Team meetings are held regularly and are well attended by the staff team. This ensures that staff are well informed and provides opportunities for then to discuss the development of the home as well as the children’s progress and support needs.

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Leaders and managers

The manager has systems in place to gather data on the performance of staff and the progress of children. She completes a review of the quality of care every six months and this has been shared in line with regulations. However, the report lacks an evaluation of the impact of care on the experiences and progress of children. This is a missed opportunity for leaders and managers to understand the strengths and areas for development of the service.

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Leaders and managers

Positive partnerships are in place with local authorities, social workers, the virtual school and the police. However, leaders and managers do not always make use of multi-agency forums to share intelligence and manage the risks. Assurance visit report: 2520922 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(b)) 15 January 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 15 January 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environments that meets the needs of their children. They will, in most cases be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 Regulation 45 sets out requirements for the registered person to have a system in place which allows them to monitor the matters set out in the regulation at least once every six months; also see regulation 13(2)(h) (the leadership and management standard). The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. Reviews should be underpinned by the quality standards as described in regulations 5 to 14. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2) Assurance visit report: 2520922 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hennessy Living Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Rickleton 1B, Bowes Offices, Lambton Park, Chester-le-Street DH3 4AN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Goundry

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Inspector

Deb Duffy, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: 2520922 6 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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